Buffing out aluminum boat

[DanDeitz]

I’m starting the process of polishing the hull on my 1959 Sea King. Many videos advocate sanding with 320 and then buffing with wheel and brown bar. Is it necessary to start with the sand paper? What’s your opinion?

 

[airshot]

My opinion is to paint it, save yourself the work now and in the future, painted hulls are so much easier to keep looking nice! My two cents anyway !!

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

You can polish scratched and gouged aluminum with a wheel. The sanding is to smooth out the scratches and gouges so it looks more like a mirror and less like a polished turd. Lol.

 

[Kismet]

You can polish scratched and gouged aluminum with a wheel. The sanding is to smooth out the scratches and gouges so it looks more like a mirror and less like a polished turd. Lol.

In one of my restorations, the most efficient and least taxing method was with generic steel wool pads. There's a picture somewhere, maybe in the link below on Alumacraft Model A. If not there, one of the others.

It was not joy-filled, but shone in the sun. I let it oxidize. I haven't looked lately, but there was a product...?"Sharkhide?"....or like that, that protected the polished hull.

Best wishes.

 

[Tim Pirkl]

You can polish scratched and gouged aluminum with a wheel. The sanding is to smooth out the scratches and gouges so it looks more like a mirror and less like a polished turd. Lol.

Now that's funny!

 

[LaqueRatt]

All I can say is I've spent many, many hours making alum on my bikes shine like a mirror. I hope you're a young man, because you may not live long enough to do a proper polish on something so large. I agree, paint it. Either that or you'll just be polishing it all over soon when it becomes dull again. Prob within a year I'd guess.

 

[thill]

3M fiberglass restorer and a wool pad. You will be able to see yourself within a minute. Just do a small section at a time. Press hard and go slow at first, then go full speed and press very light to really mirror it out:

Original, terrible aluminum:


Same spot after a minute or two:


After a couple of minutes:

 

[FuzzyGrub]

I certainly appreciate the time and effort people put in to get and keep a mirror like finish. Their boats look gorgous!

Myself, relegated to just keep it clean.

 

[thill]

Believe it or not, once you get the aluminum buffed out, it is super-easy to keep clean. Just quickly wipe with a towel when you pull the boat. Once or twice a year, put on a coat of Nu-Finish poly car wax. Wipe on, wipe off, just like the old TV commercials.

Trade secret.

 

[LDUBS]

I certainly appreciate the time and effort people put in to get and keep a mirror like finish. Their boats look gorgous!

Myself, relegated to just keep it clean.

Me too. I clean the scum off about twice per year. I got an aluminum boat because I didn't want to hassle with polishing a glass boat. I feel kind of guilty when I see some of the results here.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

All those mirror reflections scare the fish!

 

[airshot]

All those mirror reflections scare the fish!

If your in clear water, I could believe there would be an issue!!